When They Walked Among Men
by phoenixtat2517
Summary: The Nine send one of their own to become Dragonborn and save Tamriel. Starts off centered around the main quest line, but will explore the others as well at some point. T for violence, injuries and adult themes.
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Skyrim.

Skyrim and all subjects related are owned by Bethesda.

At their request this story may be removed or benefited from.

PROLOGUE

The Nine were always watching Tamriel. It wasn't interest or amusement. It was purpose. There was nothing else for them, no goal or function except to watch this realm. It had been so since the beginning of time. Other realms existed, to be sure. But this was of no concern to the Nine. Some citizens of Tamriel believe that the gods' reach extended further, that they had goals greater than the current events - an end-game. But this is not so.

Great a power as the gods have, as many prophecies made - the truth is that these were only hopes, which would probably be achieved. A set of accurate predictions based on the knowledge of mankind and the realm the Nine watched over. Nothing more. The track record was well so far. They had no intention of failing now. Skyrim was in crisis. The realm the Nine were swore to protect was under attack again. This time one of their own would walk to realm personally to save it. That was the day Kynareth became a Nord.

The conditions agreed in the council of the Nine were this: Kynareth would be the one to save Tamriel, the other Eight watching and directing from above. Who better to personally place in the realm of the natural but the one who guided it? But no one was to know. No one was to suspect that the unextraordinary young woman walking among them was in fact one of their Divines. Not even herself. For this reason Kynareth became imperfect - given to desires of the flesh, permitted to indulge in them, vulnerable to attack and even to phyiscal death. But she would not die prematurely, not with the Eight guiding her. Not until the appointed time. She would forget herself. But she would always be driven with the same purpose - to protect Tamriel.


	2. Chapter 2 - Discovery

DISCOVERY

Strong hands grabbed her roughly and pulled her from the ground she'd been lying face first in. Before she knew it she was being dragged backwards by two men in battle uniforms as a battle raged on around her. It was chaos and confusion. Red vs blue, she seemed so out of place wearing nothing but rags.

But who was she?

She wasn't quite sure herself. She had no memory up until this point, no sense of self. But she had more pressing matters to focus on. The soldiers dressed in red were the ones tying up her hands and pushing her into a horse-driven cart. Clearly these weren't the guys she wanted to be sticking with. She had half a mind to make a run for it, but the opportunity had gone. The soldiers in red triumphed over the ones in blue and order had been established. Nothing to distract her captors from any sudden movement. Three others had joined her. Two Nords and an Imperial, hands tied and one with his mouth gagged.

" _So much for that plan_ " the young woman thought to herself, as she resigned herself to her fate - whatever that may be. The blond Nord opposite and the Imperial struck up a brief discussion, which was silenced by the guard. But not before she'd gathered a bit of information. Apparently she'd been trying to cross the border. Not that she recalls this. And her captives were the Imperial Legion. The gagged Nord beside her - he was Ulfric Stormcloak. Leader of a rebellion against Imperial rule in Skyrim. She was in Skyrim, but somehow she had already known this. Call it intuition. It was good to have confirmation nevertheless.

The cart pulled into a small village and the Imperial's concern became increasingly clear, his innocence protested all the more. The soldiers of the legion had none of it though - he was ordered out of the cart along with the rest. And so was she. She caught a glimpse of an executioner, a priest and more prominent looking soldiers standing in a group close to a chopping block. One of the Imperial soldiers was now reading names from a list, ticking them off as the corresponding Stormcloak stepped forward.

"Lokir of Rorikstead!" The Imperial who had been carted in heard his name and made a run for it, but was quickly shot down by archers. Finally the list came to an end, and all the Stormcloaks were gathered around the chopping block. It had already occured to this young woman that her sticking out would go far from unnoticed. Her mind had been buzzing, but she still had no idea who she was.

"Prisoner in the rags! Come forward!" She obediently stepped up towards the young, male Imperial soldier. "Who are you?"

"Kyne" she responded, having felt the word and it's meaning resonate within her. If she had no name to correspond with, she would fashion her own. The soldier turned to his superior.

"Rikke, she's not on the list. What should we do?"

"Forget the list," the older woman responded. "She goes to the block."

Kyne's heart sunk, as she trudged forward to join the Stormcloak soldiers. _This can't be it_. But apparently it was. One Stormcloak had just been executed. Kyne was then called forward. She slowly stepped forward and got to her knees in front of the block. A rough foot came down on her back and her body fell, her head now on the block. The executioner raised his axe, but a shadow fell and a great noise resounded in the sky. A dark figure fell heavily upon the tower behind the executioner. The ground shook, he lost his footing and fell to the side.

"DRAGON!" someone yelled, not that anyone could be mistaken about it. The dark figure upon the tower was indeed, a dragon. It opened it's mouth, but instead of flames it released a shout and a powerful force. Everything went dark for Kyne.


	3. Chapter 3 - Escape

ESCAPE

Everything went dark for Kyne - but only for a moment. She had become disorientated, but not unconscious. A few seconds and she found her feet. The village was in uproar - Kyne no longer had her bearings, but luckily one of the Nords she traveled with was looking out for her.

"C'mon, this way! The guards won't give us another chance!" A blast of fire rushed past Kyne and she felt it on the left like a bad sunburn. Hands still bound and unable to move as fast as she would like, she followed the blonde Nord to a watchtower nearby. The door slammed shut behind her. There were a few other Stormcloaks garrisoned there as well. A couple were injured and looked beyond help - just to be comforted in their final moments. She turned around to see Ulfric conversing with the Nord she had followed inside. Now unbound and ungagged, she observed him closer for the first time. Still in his purplish-blue cloak and expensive outfit, he stood taller than the rest and with dirty brown hair.

"Jarl Ulfric, what was that thing?" her temporary companion asked. "Could the legends be true?"

"Legends don't burn down villages," was Ulfric's swift response. Another roar and crash could be heard from the outside. Whatever it was, something had just collapsed and this dragon surely wouldn't stop until all had been flattened. "We need to move! Now!"

"Up through the tower, let's go!" Kyne honestly thought this was a very stupid move. Where else could they go once they'd reached the top of the tower? But it was either that or back outside to a waiting dragon or Imperial soldiers.

 _"Pick your poison_ ," Kyne though to herself, as she followed a red-headed Nord up the tower. She was grateful not to be first in line, as the wall beside him blasted away, hitting him full force and knocking him down to ground-level. Kyne just saw the snout of the dragon poking through the hole in the tower before she pressed up against the wall, no longer confident in its ability to protect her. The same heat she felt when running to the tower appeared to her right and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the end. Mercifully, it never came, and the dragon flew off to a new target.

The way up now blocked with rubble, Kyne was looking for options. Sunlight filtered through from the hole the dragon had made in the tower, and Kyne saw below her a house with it's roof torn apart. She hesitated for a moment. It was a long way down, and it would hurt to miss. But weighing her chances, Kyne decided to grit her teeth and do it. Using both feet she leapt from the edge of the tower and sailed clean through the hole in the abandoned house's roof. But the force was too much and with no hands to put out in front of her, Kyne's face hit the floor and blood began to run steadily from her left nostril. Blinking back tears, she found her feet and ran through an open gap in the wall of the house, cutting her feet on broken planks of wood as she went.

" _Oh damn_ ," she thought when she spotted the Imperial soldier, who spotted her at the same time.

"Still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way" he called to her.

" _As if_ ," Kyne thought, " _you were the ones trying to kill me in the first place._ " She didn't have the freedom to be picky however, and so she followed the soldier until they came to a clearing near a so far untouched keep. The Nord she had earlier lost had caught up to them.

"Ralof! You damn traitor!" the solider called to him. They had a stand off near the two entrances to the keep. "Out of my way!"

"We're escaping, Hadvar! You're not stopping us this time!" Ralof retorted.

"Fine! I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovengarde!" And with that, the soldier named Hadvar took off to the keep.

"Follow me!" Ralof called to Kyne. He reached the other door to the keep before her, held it open and slammed it shut behind her. Finally, there was silence.

"Here, let me get those bindings off you," Ralof muttered. He walked over to Kyne, dagger in hand and cut lose the ropes around her wrists. Kyne shook herself free and took a moment to gather her thoughts while Ralof examined the body of a Stormcloak soldier nearby.

 _"I don't know who I am. I don't know how old I am. I don't even know what I look like, where I come from or if anyone is looking for me. I don't know how I got here. I don't know if that dragon is gone. I don't know if anything but death awaits me past today, but I do know I MUST KEEP GOING."_ It was Ralof's voice which disrupted Kyne's thoughts.

"There are some weapons here. And you might as well take Gunjar's armour - he won't be needing it anymore." Kyne shook herself back to reality. She stripped the male soldier of his Stormcloak cuirass and boots, no time to worry about preserving dignity. She threw the cuirass on over her worn rags and placed the boots on her scraped and blistered feet. Grabbing a sword from the rack behind the now naked corpse, she gave it a few swings and readied it for whatever came next.


	4. Chapter 4 - First of Friends

FIRST OF FRIENDS

Kyne rinsed her hands of her own and other's blood by a stream just off the settlement of Riverwood. The town Ralof had directed her to was now within eyeshot, but she thought it best to clean up before arriving. The blood had stopped running from her nose, her feet wrapped in rags coated with a healing potion Kyne had found escaping the keep. It had been a dangerous journey. Herself and Ralof had run into several Imperial soliders and a few creatures along the way. But it had also been rewarding. Kyne now sported a bow, arrows, some potions, gold and a few other various items. She could use these, or sell them.

If she was honest with herself, she was afraid they'd run into a trap or become stuck in the keep. But thankfully the keep broke off into an underground passage, which was how they had escaped. Ralof parted ways with her at that point and let her journey alone for a bit. But this town she was now walking towards contained relatives of his. She would be safe there - provided they actually believed her. Hopefully Ralof would be there before her.

The town looked thouroughly unextroadinary and seemingly oblivious to the events that had taken place a a few hours before. A few guards lazily patrolling the entrance, a young man arguing with an elderly lady, kids running around and townspeople hard at work. Didn't they know a dragon had just attacked a neighbouring settlement?

" _Got to find the mill_ ," Kyne remembered. The mill was where Ralof's sister, Gerdur worked. It didn't take long - the mill was located on the edge of the settlement, probably the largest building. A young woman stood at a chopping block, wearing a green dress and weilding an axe. One look told Kyne this is who she was looking for - that blond hair and blue eyes made her the spitting image of Ralof.

"Hey, Kyne!" Kyne turned around at the sound of the familiar voice that greeted her. Ralof had caught up to her and was now jogging up to meet her. He had changed out of his blue Stormcloak cuirass and now sported a dark pair of trousers and a light brown cotton shirt. Gerdur had also looked up at the sound of her brother's voice.

"Ralof!" she called to greet him. She dropped the axe and broke into a run, but her excitement turned into visible confusion by the time she had reached them.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in her Nordic accent. "I thought you were supposed to be on duty today out on the field. What's happened?"

"We were captured by the Imperials. But everything's fine! We got away," Ralof answered, dispelling her concern.

"Well, that's all well and good. But why have you come here. And who is she?" Gerdur asked, gesturing at Kyne.

"I am Kyne." Kyne spoke up at last, and reached out her hand. Gerdur took it and shook.

"Gerdur. What brings you here, Kyne? How do you know my brother?"

"She was caught up in the Imperial ambush as well, we escaped together. Listen Gerdur, there's something you should know. A dragon attacked Helgen not too long ago. I don't know who escaped, at the moment it looks like just us. But it could be headed here next," Ralof explained in a hurried manner. Gerdur's perplexed expression quickly turned into one of fear and concern.

"So you mean...that thing that I saw I flying overhead earlier? I thought my eyes were just playing tricks on me..."

"It was a dragon," Kyne interrupted. "We all saw it." There was a brief moment of silence.

"Listen, I can't stay," Ralof said. "I need to regroup back with the Stormcloaks, find my way back to Windhelm. There's a slim chance Jarl Ulfric survived. I need to know what's happened and where we go from here."

"At least stay the night, Ralof, it's close to sundown," Gerdur pleaded with him. Ralof shook his head grimly.

"I'm sorry sister, I have no time to lose. I'll grab a bite from the inn and take a carriage. I can rest on the way." Ralof embraced Gerdur briefly before breaking away. "I'll send word when I reach Windhelm. Farewell!" And with that he was gone. Gerdur turned back to Kyne.

"What about you? What are you going to do now?" she asked Kyne.

"I...well, uh-"

" _That's a damn good question_ ," Kyne thought to herself. " _What AM I going to do now?_ " She had nowhere to go. She was thinking about maybe catching up to Ralof and seeing if she could go along with him for a while. But Gerdur interrupted her thoughts.

"Well, someone needs to send word to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun. If there's a dragon roaming around he needs to know. And we need better protection."

"Right. I can do that, just point me in the right direction" Kyne responded. Gerdur gave her a sad smile.

"I would appreciate it" she said. "But maybe you should stay the night. You look exhausted. Do you have coin? I can give you a meal, and you can stay the night at the Sleeping Giant. You can get some rest and be on your way tomorrow."

Kyne nodded without a word. She WAS feeling exhausted, come to mention it. It had been a big day, physically and mentally. She joined Gerdur for a meal of cooked beef and baked potatoes. It was the first thing she'd eaten all day, which made it that much more enjoyable. She thanked Gerdur for the meal and rented a room at the inn. Kyne collapsed into bed that night and allowed exhaustion to carry her off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5 - Inn The Morning

Author's Note: Updates may not happen as frequently. Off holidays now. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more.

INN THE MORNING

Kyne rose early the next morning. Early enough that the sun was only just starting to appear through the cracks in the walls of her room at the Sleeping Giant. She found herself feeling quite refreshed, which was unusual considering the events of yesterday. Sleep had somehow managed to process for her all the confusing thoughts and happenings, the mystery of her entire being. She had decided for now that there was nothing she could do. It was best to just let things unfold as they did, and hopefully figure it out along the way. If that never happened, well...then maybe it was for the best. Maybe she needed a new start and that was how she found herself here in the first place, albeit with a major case of amnesia. She knew her next destination was Whiterun, though she had no intention of leaving just yet. She needed to pawn off a few items she picked up escaping Helgen, and possibly pick up a few more relevant ones. It was still very early though, and there was no way the stores would be open at this time.

Kyne had other ideas. She quietly slipped out of bed, still dressed in her Stormcloak armour from the day before, grabbed her Imperial bow and quiver of arrows. She opened the door to her room, greeted by the warmth of the fireplace. Only the male innkeeper was awake, sweeping lazily at the floor in front of the counter. Their eyes met for a moment.

"I'll be back in a few hours to collect my things," Kyne whispered loud enough for him to hear. The innkeeper shrugged and went back to his task. Upon receiving this acknowledgement, Kyne walked out through the front door and into the streets.

Her assumptions had been right. Few people wandered the town at this hour. A few guards patrolling and a lone Bosmer, also carrying a bow and quiver of arrows. He hadn't seen her, and she honestly preferred the company of nature at the moment. She backtracked along the stream she had come from the previous day, this time making sure the town was just out of sight. Stripping down to her undergarments, Kyne washed herself and her cuirass in the clear stream of water before hanging it to dry in the morning sun on a branch nearby.

"Time to test out this bow" she mumbled, noting a mudcrab on the other side of the stream. It was trying to disguise itself as a rock, but Kyne new better. The shape of that shell was unmistakable. She lined up an arrow and shot.

" _Just a miss,_ " Kyne thought as she huffed and pulled out another arrow. She got closer this time, wading over a rock in the middle of the river, which she perched herself on before taking aim at the crab once more. She shot again.

This time the arrow landed. It went straight into the shell and crab made a whining noise keeling over, clearly dead. Kyne smiled in satisfaction and swam the rest of the way over. She was disappointed with the size of her catch, but it was a rather easy kill. She yanked out the arrow and tore the legs off the crab, hoping to be able to make a breakfast of them.

Kyne returned from her hunting a few hours later. Along with the unlucky mudcrab, she had caught a few fish and had built a fire of her own. A couple of the fish remained in her knapsack, but she intended to sell them. No good having fish go bad if she had a journey to undertake. Kyne collected her things from the inn, and left before it got too busy.

She took a quick walk to the mill where Gerdur had only just started work for the day. Gerdur saw her and smiled.

"Kyne. Did you sleep well? You're looking much better."

"Yes, very well," Kyne replied. "Your recommendation of the inn was well-given."

"Ah, it's the only inn in town," Gerdur chuckled. "Couldn't have you sleeping under the stars. I suppose you will be off to Whiterun?"

"Yes," Kyne nodded. "But before that I wanted to get rid of some of these." Kyne gestured at the back of goods she was carrying.

"Of course. You'd want to try the Riverwood Trader, it's on the main street with a sign," Gerdur directed.

"Thank you. And the way to Whiterun?"

"Due north, follow the path in that direction," Gerdur pointed. "There are forks in the road, but signs will direct you."

"Much appreciated." Kyne picked up the knapsack she had laid down and shouldered it.

"Kyne, do be careful. Stick to the path heading to Whiterun. I suspect you can handle yourself, but this is important. YOU are important. Don't take any chances and don't get lost." Gerdur gave Kyne a brief, but warm hug. "If you ever need anything, you have friends in Riverwood."

"Thanks Gerdur" Kyne responded. "I'll keep that in mind." She gave her one last smile before turning back into town.


	6. Chapter 6 - Companions

COMPANIONS

The road to Whiterun had been thouroughly uneventful for Kyne. She had so far stuck to the path pointed out by Gerdur, and the only aggressive thing she encountered were a few wolves. These were easily taken down by her new steel dagger though, which she had acquired in a trade-off at the Riverwood Trader. She had dumped a large quantity of goods there and in return recieved a modest sum of coins which jingled happily, tucked inside a purse and hidden in her armour. The only things she had bothered to purchase were some more arrows and the dagger.

The journey had taken a couple of hours and Whiterun was now in view at a distance. Kyne estimated reaching it before the next hour was up. She intended on sticking to the patch, but was distracted by a shape moving in the distance. At first she thought it was a mill, as there were farms in the area. But upon examination it looked to be a rather large and ugly human swinging a club at a few small figures on the ground.

"A giant," Kyne whispered, as she recognised it's pale hue. An excited grin crossed her face as she got down and ran stealthily towards the figure. She was at a distance close enough to shoot an arrow, and was just about to aim one up before something whizzed by her ear and hit the giant squarely in it's temple. Kyne realised it was an arrow as it sunk into the flesh of the giant without much resitance. It fell before her, and would've crushed the three warriors below had they not moved quickly. Wondering who had stolen her shot, Kyne turned to see a young woman with long, red hair and a light set of armour standing before her, perching a bow behind her.

"Well, that takes care of that. No thanks to you," the young woman spoke.

"You didn't look like you needed any help," Kyne pouted. It WAS a bit unfair of this woman to steal her shot and accuse Kyne of not helping.

"Don't mind Aela," a rough and deep voice came from behind Kyne. "She's just teasing you." The three figures who had been battling the giant up close had come over to greet her as well. The man to whom the voice belonged to was a large man, a Nord. He had long, dark hair and donned steel armour. The other two were also young women, probably not even out of their teens - an Imperial with a dagger and a Nord who had fought with her fists.

"Farkas." The man stepped forward and held out a hand for Kyne to shake, which she took. As she did, the shock of what had happened began to wane and she felt a strange connection to this man and the one named Aela. It excited her momentarily - maybe they were a key to her past.

"Do I know you?" Kyne asked, a bit sheepishly. Aela snorted in amusement.

"I should hope so. We ARE members of the Companions," she said.

"No, that's not what I - never mind..." Kyne's heart sunk. "Who are the Companions anyhow?"

"An elite group of warriors of course," the Nord woman spoke up. "My name is Njada, and this is Ria," she said, gesturing to the woman next to her. "We fight for honour and glory!"

"Huh," Kyne acknowledged. "Can I join you?" After all, she needed something to do once this message to Jarl Balgruuf had been delivered.

"Not for me to say," Aela spoke up. "Or any of us, for that matter. Come to Whiterun and speak with Kodlak. He's our leader. He'll decide whether you're worthy."

"Come with us, if you wish," Farkas offered.

"I think I will. I'm headed that anyways. But I have an important message for the Jarl first," Kyne informed them.

"Very well," Aela spoke. "We'll travel back to Whiterun together. You can deliver your message and I'll expect you at the mead hall, Jorrvaskr."

They trudged back to Whiterun together. The journey was mostly silent. Aela kept a steady lead, while the others journeyed along behind her. Farkas would occasionaly shoot Kyne a warm smile. She still couldn't shake the feeling that she knew them somehow. She wasn't sure how and had nothing solid to go on. Just a gut feeling. But it was almost like she shared a similar spirit to these two. As they approached the gate, two guards stood by in yellow light armour.

"Hail, Companion!" one of them called in a thick, Nordic accent as he opened the gate and allowed them entry. But Kyne was stopped by an arm before being able to follow.

"Halt! Never seen you before, outsider. What business do you have in Whiterun?" Kyne looked up the Nord guard's face, only to be met with a helmet hiding any facial detail.

"I came here with this group," Kyne argued. "You have to let me in. I have a message for Balgruuf. It...it's about Helgen." The guard sniffed in disproval.

"That's JARL Balgruuf to you," but he withdrew his arm. "Fine. If you were at Helgen, the Jarl will want to speak with you. But I'll be watching you, outsider."

"Noted," Kyne huffed as she angrily pushed past the guard. " _What the heck is wrong with these people?_ " she wondered to herself.

"Come along, whelp," Aela said. "Jorrvaskr isn't far from here. We'll pass by it and you can head on up to the Jarl."

They headed up through the streets of Whiterun. It was getting to become late afternoon now, children were heading home and shops were closing up. Kyne took in her surrounding as they walked through the streets of this city. A female blacksmith washed her tools, a mother and daughter packed produce into a wooden stall, a man in rags lay passed out on a bench in front of a gigantic, dead tree.

Kyne's heart wrenched when she took notice of the tree. It just wasn't right...this tree...somehow, it was supposed to be ALIVE. Creatures and plants all died in due time, but something was wrong here. Kyne just couldn't quite put her finger on it. This was death out of it's normal cycle. But she had no time to dwell on it as Aela interrupted her thoughts.

"This is Jorrvaskr." She gestured to a building behind her, a large structure taking up the entire south side of the plain. "Jarl Balgruuf's palace is just up these steps to the east. You'll go straight there if you just follow them."

"Thank you for taking me this far. I will be back!" Kyne informed them.

"You'd better be," Farkas responded. "We have a few spare beds anyways. Come stay the night and we can sort you out in the morning."

Kyne nodded, and parted ways with the group. Her next destination - Dragonsreach Palace.


	7. Chapter 7 - A Place to Begin

A PLACE TO BEGIN

Dragonsreach didn't take long to reach from outside Jorrvaskr. A quick hike had Kyne standing at the doors, which appeared to be twice as tall as her. Kyne felt very awkward as she opened them to allow herself inside - as if the attention of the entire palace would be attracted to her presence. And indeed, it was. She was watched as she quickly paced up to the Jarl's throne, head down until she bumped into a middle-aged dark elf with a drawn sword.

"Halt!" the elf sternly ordered. "You approach the throne of Jarl Balgruuf. State your business!"

Kyne was slightly taken-aback. Was this REALLY necessary? It wasn't as if she was coming with weapon in hand. Even the Jarl seemed to be trying not to roll his eyes at the zealous actions of the dark elf warrior.

"I've come from Helgen. Where the dragon attacked. I swear that's all I want to do," Kyne said, exasperated. She was really getting quite sick of this.

"Stand down, Irileth," the Jarl called from his throne. The she-elf sheathed her sword and backed up, but retained a menacing look towards Kyne as she approached the throne. "You say you have news of Helgen. One of our guards from the watchtower claimed to have sighted a dragon. We assumed he'd had too much mead. Still, whispers have reached my ears. What can you tell me? Did you personally witness what happened?"

"I did, Jarl," Kyne informed him. She was unaware of how to act in front of a Jarl, but he appeared to take no issue with her town. "I had a great view of it from the chopping block," she added, bitterly.

"Hmph," the Jarl grunted. "Your crimes will be pardoned in this hold should you tell me all you know."

" _Crimes? What crimes?_ " Kyne thought to herself. But she continued. "I escaped with a member of the Stormcloak army and we found ourselves in Riverwood. That was yesterday. We'd seen the dragon head in that direction, but found no sight of it when we arrived. Now I'm here. Helgen was destroyed. As for who escaped and who burned...well, I just don't know."

"Alright then," was the Jarl's quiet acknowledgement. He turned his gaze upon the balding steward to his right. "Proventus, I think it's time to act. Order a detachment of soldiers to be sent to Riverwood. Maybe we can't kill this dragon, maybe we can. But at least we should protect our citizens.

"Of course, Jarl Balgruuf," was the stewards response, and he left he room. Balgruuf turned his attention back to Kyne.

"You've done Whiterun a service by bringing me this information. You're comfortable in light armour, yes?" He waited for Kyne's nod. "I'll have my blacksmiths make a cuirass of leather as a reward. Are you staying in the city?"

"Yes, in Jorrvaskr, my Jarl," Kyne replied. A smile broke the rough and serious features of the Jarl's face.

"Ah, with the Companions! You're in fine company, citizen. Very well, I'll have it delivered by courier tomorrow to Jorrvaskr. And may I ask your name?" the Jarl enquired.

"Kyne."

"Thank you, Kyne. You may go!"

The sun had begun to set by the time Kyne reached the doors of Jorrvaskr. She half-expected to attract the same level of attention as she entered, and dreaded the moment. But when it came, she was glad to find that nobody appeared to notice her entrance at all. Rather, the entire room was gathered around two people locked in a fist-fight: Kyne recognised one as Njada - the Nord she had met earlier in the afternoon. The other was a lanky dark elf, a young male. He wasn't standing a chance against Njada.

"Looks like you found the place alright" came a gruff voice from behind Kyne. She turned to see Farkas standing there to greet her. She smiled in return.

"I did, thank you," she said. "So, am I suppose to meet this...Kodlak guy?" Farkas chuckled, lightly.

"Kodlak's not just a GUY" he laughed. "He's our Harbinger, the leader of the Companions. Well..I don't really know what that means, but I know he's more than your average warrior. But nah, not tonight. He retires early and you seem pretty tired yourself." He was right, another full-on day had worn Kyne out greatly. "Nah, just sleep here for the night and you can meet him in the morning. C'mon, I'll show you to the room."

Kyne followed Farkas to the right and down a narrow staircase to what looked like a rather large basement area. But it was more than that, as far as Kyne could see. Farkas took her through the closest door and into a room full of beds.

"Mostly this area is reserved for members of the Companions, but we'll make an exception for tonight," Farkas said. "I mean, you DID help us take down a giant."

"I didn't even get a shot," Kyne recalled.

"Whatever," Farkas shrugged. "I'm still sure you'll be one of us in no time. Tilma's our maid. She'll probably bring along some food soon enough. Just pick a bed and fall in it when you're tired."

"Thanks," Kyne mumbled as she moved toward the bed furthest from the doorway.

"You can see Kodlak in the morning. If you get confused, just ask me or Aela for help. We'll be around."

Kyne nodded in response. "Alright. I'll see you in the morning, then."

"You too."


	8. Chapter 8 - Introductions

INTRODUCTIONS

"On your feet, whelp."

Kyne grunted as something weighty fell upon her chest.

"Whaa.." she said as she opened her eyes groggily. Aela stood and leant against the wall opposite Kyne's bed and folded her arms.

"A courier came by not long ago. Came from Dragonsreach. That's for you," Aela said, nodding towards the lumpy item she'd thrown onto Kyne.

"Get dressed!" she added as she walked to leave. "We're all eating breakfast upstairs. And the old man wants to see you."

Kyne took "the old man" to mean Kodlak. She looked down at the package lying on top of her and noticed it was a leather cuirass, as promised by Balgruuf. But it wasn't alone. There was also a note attached to it. Curiosity got the better of her and she opened it up to read what was inside:

Kyne,

Leather armour specially fitted for you as a reward for service to Jarl Balgruuf of Whiterun. The Jarl requests further audience with you as soon as possible.

Signed

\- Proventus Avenicci, steward to the Jarl

Kyne groaned inwardly. She had stuff to do now, she didn't want to be wasting time acting as the Jarl's servant. But a summons was still a summons, and she thought it best to answer them. But first, a meal. She changed into her new leather cuirass and found it fitted her much better than the old Stormcloak uniform had. Subsequently, she threw the uniform into a woven basket with no intention of coming back for it and made her way upstairs to the mead hall.

A delightful smell reached her as soon as she topped the steps leading up to hall. And sure enough, it was owing to tables lined with freshly cooked food for the Companions to eat. Kyne spotted Farkas, who had seemed the most friendly of the Companions she'd met so far, and joined him at the table quietly. He was locked in conversation with a smaller, but stern looking man beside him and at first remained unaware of her presence. But Kyne failed to remain unnoticed when her arm reach in front of him to grab a breadroll and a couple of slices of salmon.

"Brother, this is a newcomer," Farkas said to smaller man, who eyed Kyne with curiosity. "She lodged with us for the night, but isn't yet one of us. "

"Kyne." Kyne reached out a hand across Farkas for the smaller man to shake. He moved, she thought, to take it. But instead with a flurry of movement, the man knocked her hand skyward, moved around Farkas and brought forth a dagger from his side, stopping just short of Kyne's throat. He was behind her, left hand on her forehead, pulling her head back to look into his beady, dark eyes. His short, dark hair fell forward over his face as he looked down and smiled in amusement.

"Not quick enough in battle to be a Companion," he sneered. "The name is-"

"Vilkas!" another voiced called. The grip on Kyne was instantly relinquished and the man stood aside to reveal another. This one appeared to be the eldest of the lot, his white hair reaching around his face like a mane, one eye faded and wearing an unusually patterned set of steel armour.

"Uh...good morning, master," Kyne's aggressor responded sheepishly, not quite meeting the older man's eyes, but now staring unconfidently at the ground.

"I am nobody's master, Vilkas," the elder man said. "But a word of advice - it is good to be wary of manners, but only appropriate to attack the aggressor. This young girl offered you a hand in innocence. Next time, take it."

"Of course, master," Vilkas replied as he turned to Kyne. "My apologies." And with that, he left the table and headed outside.

"I'll be off to train, then," Farkas grunted, and followed his brother out the same door. The older man took a seat next to Kyne.

"You are Kyne, correct?" he asked. Kyne nodded. "Yes, Aela and Farkas informed me of your arrival in the early hours of the morning. I am Kodlak Whitemane, Harbinger of the Companions. "

Kyne had assumed as much, with the way Vilkas had responded to them.

"So you're the leader, then?"

"Ah ha, not so much," Kodlak smiled. "I offer them guidance and wisdom should they seek it, but the Companions remain led by our founder, Ysgramor. Even generations after his death, we hold to his values and ethics in battle."

"Farkas and Aela said to speak to you to join, though," Kyne mumbled.

"Indeed, and you would. But as I hear it, you have another task to attend to." Kyne's eyes widened.

"How did you know about that?" she asked.

"I have my own eyes and ears in Dragonsreach. A close friendship with the Jarl has told me much about you already, and you have an important job ahead of you. Prove your honour to Whiterun, and then we shall see about having you join." And with that, Kodlak also got up and left Kyne to finish her now cold bread roll.


End file.
